WTC 2021: Sanjay Manjrekar points out the 'dogmatic approach' of Kohli, Pujara, and Gill

No Indian batsman could score a half-century in the ICC World Test Championship final.

Virat Kohli | GETTY

Former cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar is not pleased with India cricket team's batting approach in the recently concluded World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand.

India were bowled out for 217 & 170 in the marquee clash, and no Indian batsman managed to touch the 50-run mark in both innings.

Manjrekar talked about Shubman Gill's feet movement and said the India opener is always on the front foot which doesn't help him. Gill scored 28 in the first innings and 8 runs in the second essay.

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"He (Gill) will have to work on his footwork. It is something that is very obvious for everyone to see. He is getting out to the ball that is leaving and the ball that's coming back in. It's a problem, and like I mentioned in the first innings, it's always the front foot," he said on ESPNCricinfo.

Manjrekar added that Gill was batting with an approach that would work in Australia, but not England. "It's the kind of footwork that you see from batters when you are playing in say Australia on a pitch like Adelaide where the ball really starts shooting along the ground, keeps really low with the cracks and then all batters come with the pre-conceived notion that, come what may, you are going to get on to the front foot," he said.

The 55-year-old also pointed out that Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara have a similar approach which he isn't sure would work out in English conditions. 

"So, then, it is understandable for all batters to come with this sort of a dogmatic approach, to get onto the front foot. But you see with (Cheteshwar) Pujara, you're seeing that with Gill…Virat Kohli plays that as well; you know that's his basic game. I'm a little skeptical whether that is the right way to go about…to be on the front foot all the time," said Manjrekar.

(With ESPNCricinfo Inputs)

 
 

By - 26 Jun, 2021

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